1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus to reduce the time necessary for printing consecutive pages of printing data and an image forming method thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus configured to generate a command to print a following page of printing data while performing an after-printing process.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus generates printing data or receives printing data from an external device. The image forming apparatus prints the printing data on a sheet of printing paper. Generally, the image forming apparatus includes copiers, faxes, printers or multifunction peripherals (MFP) having functions of scanning, printing, copying and faxing.
The image forming apparatus performs various pre-printing processes for printing the printing data onto the sheet of printing paper. For example, the image forming apparatus receives digital type printing data from the external device and converts the digital type printing data to analog data. The printing data may include a plurality of pages for consecutive printing. The image forming apparatus performs the pre-printing processes in single page units of printing data. That is, first, the image forming apparatus performs the pre-printing processes on a first page. Then, the image forming apparatus performs the pre-printing process on consecutive pages of the printing data. After completing the pre-printing processes of the first page, the image forming apparatus generates a printing command to print the pre-printing process for the first page. After printing the pre-printing processed first page, the image forming apparatus performs a pre-printing process for the second page, which follows the first page.
In case of a plurality of pages having printing data, each page may contain different amounts of data for processing. The time required for performing the pre-printing process increases with respect to the amount of data contained on each page of the printing data.
After performing a pre-printing process on one page of the printing data, the image forming apparatus prints the processed page onto a sheet of printing paper. While printing the first pre-printing processed page, the image forming apparatus performs a pre-printing process on a following page of printing data.
If the pre-printing process of the following page is unable to complete, the image forming apparatus does not generate a printing command for printing the next page, even though the previous page is completely printed and there is still printing data which remains to be printed.
If the printing command is not generated, the image forming apparatus still completes the printing operation to form an image on a sheet of printing paper and pushes out the sheet. Simultaneously, the image forming apparatus performs an after-printing process.
The after-printing process is a process which prepares a following page to print the printing data.
A drawback of the conventional image forming apparatus is that it does not determine whether a printing command of the following page is generated during performance of the after-printing process.
The conventional image forming apparatus determines whether the printing command for printing the following page is generated after completing the after-printing process. And then, the image forming apparatus prints the following page when it is determined that the printing command of the following page is generated.
Accordingly, the conventional image forming apparatus must wait for completing the after-printing process to determine whether the printing command to print the following page is generated. More particularly, if the printing data includes a comparatively large number of pages, the conventional image forming apparatus must spend a significant amount of time waiting until the after-printing process is completed to determine whether the printing command of the following page is generated. Therefore, the conventional image forming apparatus takes a comparatively longer time for printing consecutive pages of printing data. Therefore, performance of the conventional image forming apparatus is degraded.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved image forming apparatus for determining printing commands during the after-printing process to improve performance.